Broncos defense isn’t yet adding up to the sum of its parts

The Broncos defense is blessed with terrific individual performances so far this season, particularly in the pass rush.

All four of their edge rushers ranked in the NFL’s top 25 at their position group in pressure rate headed into Monday night’s play among the 112 edge rushers with at least 25 pass-rush snaps, per data compiled by Pro Football Focus.

Nik Bonitto’s hit rate on opposing quarterbacks is the highest in the league among edge rushers, also per PFF data. Zach Allen’s hit rate is the best among 125 interior defensive linemen with at least 20 pass-rush snaps. And on the back end, Talanoa Hufanga has been a guided missile.

Despite that and the presence of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, defense has lagged, particularly in the last two weeks. Penalties haven’t helped, with Hufanga drawing a chunk of them Sunday.

The numbers in the last two weeks reflect the struggle.

43.9

That is the average net yardage allowed by the Broncos defensive on a per-possession basis in the last two games, the worst figure int he league in that span.

Denver still ranks 11th in the league in net yards allowed per possession for the season thanks to its work against the Tennessee Titans and first-time starting quarterback Cam Ward in Week 1; the Titans mustered just 6.7 net yards per series. But since then, the Broncos have allowed more yards and more first downs per series than anyone else.

71

Percentage of series in the final six minutes of regulation or overtime that have ended in scores or scoring opportunities when the Broncos defense had a lead or were tied since Ja’Quan McMillian’s pick-six against Cleveland in Week 13 last year.

The Broncos defense has faced seven such series since then. Four of them came at Cincinnati last December; the Broncos got one stop in overtime and allowed a touchdown, a missed field goal and a field goal on the other three in the final moments of regulation and in overtime of that loss.

Denver then forced a fumble from Tennessee in the final moments in Week 1 of this season, but allowed game-winning field-goal marches in each of the subsequent two weeks.

Over Vance Joseph’s five seasons as head coach and defensive coordinator, the Broncos have had 22 of these series near the end of regulation and in overtime. On half of those occasions, they forced a punt, a takeaway or a turnover on downs. Eight times, they allowed a score; on three occasions they yielded a missed or blocked field goal.

0

Number of times that Sean Payton-coached teams have finished with winning seasons after starting 1-3 or worse in their first four games.

That’s part of what makes next Monday’s game so vital. The only losing seasons he’s had came in the seasons when his teams failed to reach .500 after four games. It’s no wonder he often speaks of the “race to get better” with such frequency and urgency; it’s proven crucial to the eventual outcome of his clubs time and again.

Also of note:

250.3

Passing yards per game allowed by the Broncos since Week 13 of last year — including the postseason. That’s 32nd in the NFL in that span.

The Broncos are also 26th in scoring defense (26.2 points per game) and 27th in total defense (365.8 yards allowed per game) over that stretch.

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